Father Cura (Álex Angulo) is onto something big, having discovered that the anti-christ will be born on Christmas eve, which is the next day. His plan is simple – commit as many evil acts in the time he has so as to be able to call on the devil himself, confront him, and save the world.
He’s helped out along the way by satan-worshipper and metal-music buff José María (Santiago Segura) with their erstwhile hostage and all-round mystic of the dark arts, Cavan (Armando De Razza) - a supposedly psychic tv celebrity known for his show The Dark Zone. Together, the three anti-wise men must unravel Satan’s machinations and survive the hostile streets of a chaotic Madrid.
Day of the Beast: Devilish Plot and Summary
If this film isn’t among the very best of horror/comedies (Evil Dead 2, Braindead, Re-animator, etc) then it’s a close and highly entertaining contender. For a budget of just 1.5 million, it manages to fill the journey of Father Cura with an inspired use of people and places as he explores a cross-section of Madrid’s social make-up. What can be said? It’s just good film-making.
However, the final result may leave some wanting by flying in the face of the b-movie lore that Iglesia so successfully recreated. Beast, like it’s premise, is a thoroughly ‘anti-formula’ flick.
Here Iglesia has infused his own style into the archetype and while the first two acts adhere to that formula, the third throws it out altogether. Viewers should be prepared for an unconventional conclusion, with Iglesia leaving an ambiguous twist open to the interpretation that in a decadent world where racial hatred spills over into the streets and evil is everywhere in many forms, the anti-Christ is probably not what any of us should be worried about (but then again, Cura sees ‘evil’ in plenty of places, including a mosh-pit full of metalheads who, to be fair, tend to be really nice people).
Also, with the concept of Father Cura’s necessary evil being introduced early, it’s easy to believe it will feature heavily as a major theme. Anyone expecting serious, limb-ripping, malevolence will be disappointed by Cura’s tentative approach and Iglesia’s satirical spin, which produces a string of minor offenses amongst the few that involve hurting or condemning other people. Cura’s acts are focused on blasphemy as much as violence, just as the script favours the comedic for the horrific, and the escalating process of evil-doing concludes half way through the plot.
So curb these expectations and enjoy a great union at work here in director, writer, and cast. Among the fine work of all those involved, there’s plenty of laughs (of the near-slapstick kind as well as suggestively dark) and a soundtrack from Battista Lena, featuring some great Spanish metal. Death, not Heavy. There’s a difference.
The Day of the Beast Cast
Álex Angulo (who also featured in Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth) was/is perfectly suited to playing the role of Father Cura. There had to be an obvious struggle in his kindly persona to commit evil deeds and so a sympathetic face was always going to be crucial. Angulo would have been a great choice for this part in any era of film history – silent and beyond.
He is more than ably joined by the brilliant Santiago Segura, who, as a self-confessed Satan-worshipper, is kind enough – and drug-addled enough - to assist Cura on his mission. Segura is constantly entertaining with great comic timing and a scene to cherish as he gets an uncontrollable case of the giggles while contemplating his inevitable demise.
Completing the trio is Armando De Razza as Cavan, who likewise has a role to remember, forced to help Cura try and summon the devil. De Razza’s Cavan is a hilarious send-up of trashy tv mystics, which hides the cynicism and self-loathing of a man who doesn’t believe a word of what he’s spouting.
Rounding off the cast are a number of more minor roles, including those of Terele Pávez as José Maria’s violent mother, Rosario, and Nathalie Seseña as Mina, who helps to run Rosario’s B & B.
Álex de la Iglesia for President?
It’s not for nothing that this director’s work has been consistently likened to the early efforts of a Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson, with perhaps a touch of John Landis’ dark humour. Iglesia and recurrent co-writer José Guerricaechevarria made their names two years before Day of the Beast with Acción mutante, aka Mutant Action, in 1993, but the fact that Beast won a host of Spanish awards forever cemented Iglesia’s reputation. He recently directed in 2008’s The Oxford Murders and is working on another English-language film in The Yellow Mark, as well as being the sole candidate to become president of the Spanish Film Academy (so the odds must be pretty good that he’ll get the job).
As Iglesia moves further up the career ladder, it’s questionable if we’ll ever see him return to making low-budget B-movies, especially as he seems to be developing a taste for thrillers (The Yellow Mark among them). Even so, stranger things have happened and another outing in the vein of Beast would be welcomed by many.
- Producer: Andrés Vicente Gómez
- Director: Álex de la Iglesia
- Screenplay: Álex de la Iglesia, Jorge Guerricaechevarría
- Starring: Álex Angulo, Santiago Segura, Armando De Razza, Terele Pávez, Nathalie Seseña
- Released: Oct 1995 by Canal & España, Iberoamericana Films, Sociedad General
- Running Time: 103 mins approx.
